Singer Whitney Houston Dead At Age 48

Grammy award winning singer and pop music icon Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. Houston’s publicist confirmed her death to news sources Saturday night, the eve of the Grammys, where Houston won awards six times in her career.

The cause of her death and her location at the time of her death were unconfirmed as of this posting, though CNN has reported that singer Ray J, who she had been dating, discovered her body at the Beverly Hilton. But what is known is that Houston’s success in the entertainment industry was, for a long time, unparalleled. Her albums have sold over 170 million copies worldwide, and she had won over 400 awards for her work in music and in film in 2010. In addition to the best selling soundtrack for her 1996 movie The Preacher’s Wife, she also starred in The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner, and even played the fairy godmother in an film version of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Houston will undoubtedly be remembered for her drug use, which she admitted to in an interview with Diane Sawyer, and her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. Their relationship, which ultimately ended in divorce, was even documented on a reality show. Houston made a strong attempt at a comeback in the summer of 2009, when she made an appearance on Oprah touting the release of her then-new album I Look To You. The album, her last, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Houston had reportedly in talks to be a guest host on The X Factor, a job that would have kept her in the headlines. But she’ll always remain in our hearts as one of the greatest singers of all time. Below, a few of our favorite Whitney Houston hits. Tell us about yours in the comments.